18. Stan O’Neal

Oâ€™Nealâ€™s abrasive personality and ruthless cost cutting earned him many enemies, but his push toward riskier bets and subprime exposure led to his ouster. After Merrill posted the biggest quarterly loss in its 93-year historyâ€”and Oâ€™Neal was caught approaching Wachovia about a merger without the boardâ€™s approvalâ€”he was finally fired.

THE STAT: Oâ€™Neal walked out the door with $161.5 million in severance.